


Into the Forest

by Clevercookie101



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Angst and Feels, Bittersweet Ending, Growing Up, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Character(s), youngjos age is ambiguous cause hes immortal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26576782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clevercookie101/pseuds/Clevercookie101
Summary: Geonhak is lost in the forest when he stumbles upon a forgotten shrine and its mysterious owner who wears a cat mask.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Kim Youngjo | Ravn
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34
Collections: WEUS Harvest Moon Fest





	Into the Forest

**Author's Note:**

> This was my submission for the Harvest Moon Fest, I hope you enjoy! My prompt was "A god from a forgotten shrine encounters a young child who rushes into the temple and cries." I hope this pleases whoever submitted that prompt!
> 
> This was inspired by the anime Hotarubi no Mori e.

Geonhak is scared. He’s lost. He’s been wandering through the forest for the past hour and he hasn’t found a way out. 

His grandmother must be worried. He had told her he was going to walk around the outskirts of the forest and return in time for dinner. But it was nearing dinner time now, the sun slowly retreating behind the foliage, and Geonhak isn’t home. 

He didn’t mean to get lost. He got distracted by a kitten and chased after it. He didn’t know he had run _this_ deep into the forest. 

Geonhak’s lip quivers as reality dawns on him. He’s lost and there’s no way out and no way to tell his grandmother where he is. 

Geonhak gives up walking and plops down on a rock. He glances up at the sky that’s now slowly turning orange. He drops his face into his hands and lets out a small sob. He’s not really one to cry, but he’s genuinely scared right now. He’s only six, he doesn’t know what to do. 

“Meow.” 

Geonhak sniffles and peaks through his fingers. He slowly blinks the tears away. His gaze meets a cat. It’s the kitten from earlier!

Geonhak glares at it, “It’s your fault I’m lost!” But he doesn’t sound the least bit threatening. 

The cat doesn’t seem to understand him, just sitting down in front of Geonhak and tilting its head curiously at him. “Meow?”

“Go away.”

“Meow.” The cat moves forward and nudges its head against Geonhak’s ankle. 

“I said leave me alone!” 

“Meow! Meow! Meow!” The cat just continues to meow insistently at Geonhak. 

“What? You haven’t done enough? You already got me lost now what—” The cat does a few circles at Geonhak’s feet before taking off running. “Hey!” Geonhak leaps to his feet, “Come back here!” He chases after the kitten. 

He doesn’t even pay attention to his surroundings, just runs deeper into the forest after the cat. The cat abruptly stops at a stone. 

“There you are! You little—” Geonhak takes a step back and realizes he’s been led to a shrine. It’s small and looks pretty old. The stone it’s made of is cracked and weeds are sprouting out of the cavities. There’s a podium in the middle, a place for offerings to be left. Geonhak walks up to it and lays his hand on the stone pillar, although he can barely reach the top. “What’s this doing here?” 

“I could ask you the same thing.” 

Geonhak leaps away from the podium and spins around. He recoils his hand to his chest as if him being caught touching the thing has burned his skin. His eyes meet a broad chest covered by a loose white shirt with lace details on it. His eyes trail up and eventually meet two piercing eyes, although they aren’t of a human. Instead they are two painted eyes of a cat on the mask the man is wearing. “W-Who are you?”

“Why are you here?” The stranger ignores Geonhak’s question. 

“I’m lost…”

“Meow!” The pair look down to see the kitten poised at the entrance of the shrine. “Meow! Meow!” 

“Ah I see.” Youngjo glances back up to Geonhak. “Moony brought you here.” 

“Moony…?”

“The kitten. Her name is Moony. She’s my… _pet.”_

“She got me lost!” 

“Moony would never do that.” 

“We were playing and she ran off into the forest and I chased after her then I got lost! It’s all her fault.”

“Calm down, you’re safe now. Moony brought you to the right place.”

“A shrine? How will that help me?” 

_“I_ can help you. I’ll lead you out of the forest.”

“R-Really?!” Geonhak’s eyes light up and he eagerly takes off ready to hug his savior. 

“Wait!” The man quickly jumps away before Geonhak can make contact. Instead Geonhak runs into a tree. 

“Ow!” Geonhak rubs the bruise on his forehead. “What was that for?”

The man looks at the dirt below him, “You can’t touch me.” 

“Why?” 

“I’m…I’m not _human.”_

Geonhak tilts his head, “Then what are you?” 

“I’m a god.”

“A god?”

“Yes, I granted people’s wishes.” Geonhak doesn’t think to question why the man had said grant in the past tense. 

“Ok…”

“Come on,” the man seems to shake off his gloomy demeanor, “let’s go.” 

Geonhak follows the man as he navigates the forest. It seems the man— _god_ —has a much better understanding of the place. For Geonhak, all the trees look the same. Moony also follows them, only stopping every once in a while to sniff the forest floor or stretch. 

Eventually, they reach the edge of the forest. Geonhak’s eyes light up as he spots his grandmother's house at the top of a hill in the distance. 

He turns back to the god and flashes his refreshing smile, “Thank you! I’ll be back tomorrow to thank you properly.” 

“You shouldn’t come back.”

“What?”

“This forest is cursed. If you enter, your soul will be lost forever, you’ll be cursed with madness. You shouldn’t come back.”

Geonhak frowns, “But…”

“You should go home. It’s getting late, your folks are probably worried about you.” 

“What’s your name?”

The cat mask stares back at Geonhak. They spend a few moments staring at each other, before Geonhak caves and turns around. He’s about ready to leave. 

“Youngjo.” The god whispers. 

Geonhak spins back around, “Thank you, Youngjo.” But the god has already disappeared. 

Geonhak returns to his grandmother’s house. She’s sitting on the porch when she notices Geonhak. “Doya!” 

“Halmeoni!” Geonhak runs up to his grandmother with his arms spread. Instead of a hug, he gets a light smack on his head. 

“I told you not to be out too late!” 

“Sorry, Halmeoni…” he says sheepishly. 

“I’m glad you’re safe. Dinner is ready, come inside.” 

☙

Geonhak’s grandmother places a kiss on his forehead and tucks him in. “Goodnight, Doya.”

“Halmeoni?”

“Yes?”

“What’s in the forest?” 

“The forest? People say there are spirits who help the forest grow.”

“Only spirits?”

“Well some say there’s a god who lives there. But no one has found his shrine, so there’s no proof he exists.” 

“What’s he the god of?”

“He’s a god of fate. It’s said he ties people who are destined to meet together with an invisible thread. He knows the exact moment their eyes will meet for the first time.” 

“He sounds interesting…” 

“Fate is an interesting thing.” 

“Goodnight, Halmeoni.” 

“Goodnight, Doya.” 

☙

Geonhak, despite the warning from Youngjo, returns to the entrance of the forest the next day. This time, he has some wildflowers in his hands that he had picked on the way. 

Surprisingly, Youngjo is there when Geonhak arrives. “So you came after all.” 

Geonhak twiddles with the flowers in his hands, “I wanted to thank you for yesterday.” 

Youngjo hums, “But I warned you not to come here again.” 

“Then why were you waiting for me?” 

“I didn’t want you to go into the forest looking for me.” 

“Here.” Geonhak holds out the flowers, tiny white blossoms swaying in the gentle breeze. “These are for you. An offering, as a thanks.” 

Youngjo bends down to meet the flowers. He slips his mask off only enough so he can sniff the flowers’ aroma, not enough to reveal his eyes. He smiles, heart-shaped lips quickly disappearing behind his mask, “They smell nice.” 

“Take them.”

“I can’t, I’m sorry.” 

“Why?”

“I don’t want to accidentally touch you.”

“Why can’t I touch you?” 

“It’s complicated…”

“Do you not like the flowers? I can pick different ones!”

“No, no! It’s not that. It’s…you can’t get tangled in the threads.” 

“Threads?”

“You’re too young to understand.” 

Geonhak pouts, “But I’m six! Almost seven!”

Youngjo laughs, “You’re still too young.” 

“Hmph. Meanie.” 

“Meanie?” Youngjo scoffs. “I’m not a meanie.”

“Prove it!”

“How?”

“Play hide and seek with me!” 

“…Fine.” 

“Yay! Try and find me!” Geonhak takes off into the forest. 

“Wait!” Youngjo can’t grab Geonhak to stop him from entering the forest, so his only option is to give chase. Youngjo dashes after the boy, who’s surprisingly quick despite his short child legs. He even loses track of Geonhak. 

Geonhak snickers, stifling his laughs with his hand. He’s peeking out from behind a tree trunk, watching as Youngjo looks around trying to find him. 

“Meow!” 

Geonhak glances down and spots Moony. “Shh! You’re going to blow my cover!”

“Meow meow!” 

“There you are!” Youngjo appears in front of Geonhak, cat mask eye-level with Geonhak. 

“No fair! Moony gave me away!” 

Youngjo scoops up the kitten and scratches underneath her chin, “She’s just looking out for you.” 

“Rematch!” Geonhak shouts before taking off into the forest again. 

☙

It happens a few more times. Geonhak runs away before Youngjo can stop him. He hides as best as he can, but Moony finds him every time. Before they know it, the sun is beginning to set. 

Youngjo leads Geonhak out of the forest again. “Now don’t come back again. I’ve already told you it’s dangerous.” 

“I’ll be back again tomorrow! I _will_ win hide and seek!” Geonhak runs home before Youngjo can rebuttal. 

☙

It repeats like that for a few days. Geonhak arrives at the entrance of the forest and, despite his warnings, Youngjo is always there waiting. It gets to the point where Youngjo gives up warning him, instead just waiting for the boy to show up so they can play. 

“I’m going back home soon.” Youngjo glances at Geonhak who has his feet dipped into the river water. “I only come here to visit Halmeoni during the summer. I have to go home for school.” 

“I see.” 

Geonhak looks up at Youngjo with wide eyes, “Will you be here next summer?” 

“I’m always here.” 

“Then I’ll be back! We can play some more when I return.”

Youngjo smiles, “I’ll be waiting.” 

☙

Geonhak returns the next summer. And the next. And the next. He spends his afternoons playing with Youngjo, or telling Youngjo all the fun stories of his time in school. 

“I’m starting high school soon.”

“Really? Has it been that long?”

“Yeah. It feels like just yesterday I was in elementary school. But now I’m older!” 

“You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?” 

“Yeah…”

It’s something Geonhak has noticed. The way his age is fast-approaching Youngjo’s apparent one. Youngjo doesn’t age, he’s a god, so he still looks the same as the day Geonhak met him. Even wears the same billowy white shirt. 

But Geonhak only continues to grow. He’s almost as tall as Youngjo now, and his voice is even deeper. He thinks at this rate, he’ll surpass Youngjo in height and age. Not to mention he’s more muscular than Youngjo ever was. 

It’s a scary thought to him. That he’ll continue to grow while Youngjo stays the same. That one day, he may be too old to run through the forest with Youngjo. That one day, Youngjo will be waiting for him at the entrance of the forest, but he’ll never arrive. 

“I think I’ll look for a job here when I graduate.”

“Hm?”

“I want to be a teacher. There’s a small elementary school over here, so maybe they’ll hire me. If I lived here, then we could see each other everyday. No more waiting for summer to arrive! Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Youngjo doesn’t say anything. 

“Youngjo?” Geonhak looks over at Youngjo who’s laying down on the grass. He’s fallen asleep. 

Geonhak crouches beside Youngjo. He briefly wonders if Youngjo’s shirt will stain from the grass but he assumes the god has a solution for that. Then Geonhak has an idea. He may not be able to touch Youngjo, but he can surely touch his mask. 

Geonhak reaches for Youngjo’s cat mask and gently pulls it off. It reveals Youngjo’s face, and his familiar heart-shaped lips. But even more so, his nose and eyes are revealed. His nose curves gradually, not too sharp, just a gentle arc. But his eyes are what catch Geonhak’s attention. Even closed, Geonhak can tell they’re large and piercing. 

Youngjo’s eyes suddenly flutter open. The sharp cat-like eyes of Youngjo meet Geonhak’s almond ones. Geonhak’s heart stops. Youngjo is breathtakingly beautiful. Geonhak panics and slams the mask back onto Youngjo’s face. 

Geonhak avoids Youngjo’s gaze, instead choosing to glare at the grass with a blush. “You were pretending to be asleep, weren’t you?” No response. “…Why do you wear a mask anyway?” 

Youngjo stares at the clouds in the sky, “To hide.” 

“From what?” 

“The spirits of the forest. They…they don’t like me very much. I wear it so they don’t recognize me.” 

“Why?”

Youngjo sighs, “You know what I’m a god of?”

“Fate.”

“Well I’m supposed to tie people together using an invisible thread. People used to come here and offer me things, praying I’d connect them to their soulmate. I’d grant their wishes, it was my _job._ But one day…it didn’t work out. I tied a couple together and they were to meet in the forest for a date. But one of them discovered the other cheating.” 

“What happened?”

“They set the forest ablaze out of rage. They wanted to destroy my shrine; blamed me for their failed love.” 

“That’s horrible!”

“It’s my fault, though. I thought a childhood crush would last. But it didn’t…” Youngjo takes a deep breath. “The forest spirits also blame me. The fire caused a lot of damage to the forest. The spirits wept for days hoping their tears would allow the forest to prosper again. It did eventually, but they still despise me. I swore never to use my threads again.” Youngjo sits up and looks at Geonhak, “That’s why you can’t touch me. If you do, you’ll be tangled in my threads and fated to meet…someone. But there’s no promising it’ll go well.” 

“What about your shrine?”

“The forest spirits can’t move it, but no one visits it anymore. After people heard about the reason behind the fire, they determined the forest was cursed. That if a couple enters it, they’ll grow mad with hatred for each other.” 

“That’s not very fair.”

“It’s how things have to be, though, to keep everyone safe.”

“But what about you? No one visits your shrine, isn’t that bad?”

“That’s not for you to worry about.” Youngjo quickly gets up. “We should get going.” 

“O-Ok…”

☙

Geonhak sits on the porch with his grandmother. They’ve split some watermelon slices and are snacking away. 

“Halmeoni?”

“Yes, Doya?”

“What happens to a god if no one visits their shrine?” 

“To a god? Well it’s said they’ll be forgotten.”

“Forgotten?”

“A forgotten god will disappear from everyone’s memories. And eventually from this world as well.”

“Disappear?!”

“Well a god’s purpose is to grant people’s wishes, but if no one comes to them with wishes, there’s no point to their existence. So they slowly fade away.” 

“How long until they’re gone forever?”

“Who knows. The god is erased from everyone’s memories once they’re gone, so no one remembers to calculate how long it’s been.” Geonhak’s grandmother passes him the last slice. “Eat up, Doya. You’ve been studying too much, your brain is all jumbled.”

☙

Geonhak spends his last day of summer with Youngjo in silence. Youngjo tries to speak to him at first, but quickly learns Geonhak isn’t in the mood to talk. Youngjo wishes Geonhak a good year, but Geonhak can only wave as he leaves. 

Geonhak spends the winter thinking about Youngjo. He wonders how much longer Youngjo has. Each morning, he wakes up and tries to recall Youngjo’s face. Knowing the image is still clear in his head relieves Geonhak; it lets him know Youngjo has at least another day. 

When Youngjo’s face pops into Geonhak’s mind, his heart beats just a little faster, remembering each miniscule detail of it. 

☙

Geonhak’s grandmother passes as the seasons change from spring to summer. Instead of Geonhak going to visit her this summer, it’s him going to help his parents clear out her belongings. 

He’s unable to meet Youngjo the first week. He feels terrible, knowing Youngjo is waiting for him, but he has no time to slip away to see him. His parents would be suspicious. 

Finally, when the weekend arrives and his parents decide they deserve a break, Geonhak is allowed to visit Youngjo. 

As always, Youngjo is waiting at the entrance. Even Moony is there too. He looks a bit sad, but he immediately straightens up when he sees Geonhak approaching. “Geonhak? I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy. My grandmother…she passed away just before summer began. I’ve been helping my parents clean up her house.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss.” 

Geonhak shakes his head, “It’s alright. That’s how life goes, you know?” 

“Moony missed you.” 

“She did?” Geonhak bends down to nudge Moony’s cheek. She happily nestles her head into Geonhak’s palm. 

_“I missed you.”_ It’s quiet, barely above a whisper, but Geonhak hears it. 

“I missed you too,” he says boldly. 

Youngjo blushes, but it’s hidden behind the mask. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.” 

They walk through the forest quietly, Moony trailing after them. The air seems heavy and sad, but Geonhak doesn’t know if it’s because of him or because of something else. 

They arrive at Youngjo’s shrine. Somehow, it looks even more dirty and broken then last time. Youngjo leans against one of the stones. 

“The spirits are gathering tonight.”

“What for?”

“They’re welcoming a new spirit.” Youngjo pauses, “I want to go.” 

“Then go.”

“I want you to come with me.” 

“Why?”

“Please, just come tonight.” 

“O-Ok…”

“Good.” 

☙

Geonhak sneaks away from the house. Luckily, his parents are too tired, exhausted from cleaning the house, to notice him leave. He waits at the entrance of the forest for Youngjo. 

Youngjo arrives carrying a small lantern. He’s not wearing his mask, a rare sight for Geonhak. The orange hue of the lantern only makes Youngjo seem more ethereal. 

Wordlessly, Youngjo guides Geonhak through the forest. But for some reason, he leads them to his shrine. 

“Why are we here?” Geonhak asks. “What about the spirits?”

“Youngjo?” Geonhak’s head whips around and he’s met with two other men. One is short, he seems to have a thin tail swaying behind him and two little ears on his head. He resembles a tiger in a way. The other is tall and slender. He has large fluffy ears and two plush tails behind him. A fox. 

“Hello Hwanwoong and Keonhee. It’s been a while.” 

The pair run towards Youngjo and engulf him in a hug. “We missed you! We were devastated when you went into hiding, but we’re so glad you’re here now.”

The tiger, Hwanwoong, glances at Geonhak, “Who’s that?”

“Geonhak. He’s a human.”

“A human? But a human hasn’t stepped foot into this forest since—well, you know.”

“I thought you said the forests spirits hate you?” Geonhak asks. 

“We don’t hate Youngjo! He’s so nice, he waters the flowers when we forget.” The fox, Keonhee, says. 

Youngjo pipes in, _“Most_ of the spirits hate me, but these two don’t.”

“We don’t believe in the whole ‘curse' thing. Youngjo only granted their wish, that’s his job! He’s not responsible for what happens after.” 

“Why are you here now, Youngjo?” Keonhee asks. 

“Isn’t it the night of the eclipse?” Hwanwoong replies. 

They both gasp. “But that means…”

“Woong, Keonhee, please sit. You too, Geonhak.”

“Geonhak, you wondered what happens when a god’s shrine is never visited? Well, they dissapear.”

“I know. Halmeoni told me.” 

“Well your grandmother, she was the one keeping me alive. Every year before summer began, the day before you arrived, she’d come and visit my shrine. She’d thank me for allowing her to meet her husband, and she’d leave me gifts. She kept my shrine active; she kept me _alive.”_

“But—”

“Yes, but this year, she couldn’t come to my shrine.” Youngjo takes a deep breath. “I’ll be forgotten. I’ve already begun to fade. The stories of my curse on this forest are slowly disappearing from people’s memories.”

“But _I_ still remember you.”

“That’ll change. After the eclipse, I’ll have completely disappeared. That’s why the spirits are gathering. They aren’t welcoming a new spirit, they’re welcoming a new _god._ A new god who’ll take my shrine. When the sun and moon meet, a new god will be born.” 

“Just like that? Just like that, you’ll disappear?” 

“Yes.”

“B-But!” Geonhak realizes there’s tears in his eyes, “I don’t want to forget you!” 

“I’m sorry, but it’s too late.” 

“That’s not fair! Tell the spirits to call it off or something!” 

“We can’t…” Keonhee states. “It’s already been decided. The other spirits will be here soon.” 

“We came to your shrine in hopes of seeing you again.” Hwanwoong says to Youngjo, “We were hoping we could say goodbye properly.” Hwanwoong sniffles. “We’re glad you came tonight.” 

Keonhee bursts into tears, “I’ll miss you! No one else waters the flowers as thoroughly as you did!” 

Youngjo walks over to the pair and engulfs them in a hug. Geonhak feels a tinge of jealousy pierce through his heart. He’s jealous that they can touch Youngjo when Geonhak is forbidden from doing so. 

Geonhak bites back tears, he doesn’t like to cry in front of others. He doesn’t want to burden them with his problems. 

“It’s ok to cry, Geonhak. Let it out.” He senses Youngjo’s presence behind him. The tears flow naturally from there. Even Keonhee and Hwanwoong come to him, Moony sitting on his lap and kneading his thighs affectionately. Geonhak appreciates the attention, but he’s upset he can’t have the one comforting touch he needs. 

At some point, all their tears stop, and the looming deadline approaches. 

Youngjo glances at the sky, “The eclipse will be starting soon.” 

“Where are the other spirits?”

“Probably waiting until I’m gone. They’ll welcome the new god when they arrive.” 

“I wonder who the new god will be. Maybe one of the future or fortune?” 

“We won’t know until they arrive.” 

The group watches as the moon and sun slowly inch closer together. 

“It’s starting,” Geonhak says, though he tries to deny it. 

“Geonhak?” 

“Yes, Youngjo?” 

Youngjo has such a somber look on his face. It pains Geonhak, how Youngjo’s frown overtakes his pretty features. “I’m going to miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too.” 

“I have something for you.” The moon begins to turn red. 

“What?” 

Youngjo leans in slowly and plants a gentle kiss on Geonhak’s lips. Youngjo’s lips are soft, like petals. Geonhak wishes it could last longer. Even when Youngjo pulls away, Geonhak’s lips continue to tingle from the kiss. 

Geonhak is stunned, “But what about you touching me…?”

“After we first met, you gifted me flowers as an offering. I must honor that.” 

The forest is encompassed in red as the eclipse fully arrives. Youngjo, too, is illuminated by the red glow. His body starts to break apart into little flecks of pure orange light. As the red light fades, the pieces of Youngjo flutter away. They land on the podium and merge together into an orb of pure energy. 

Once the moon returns to normal, two boys are left in place of one. One with dark hair and the other with light. Both have little antlers sprouting from their heads and freckles dusting their cheeks. Their doe eyes open to meet Geonhak’s. 

Geonhak just stares. He feels as if his soul has been detached from his body. He’s not quite present in the moment. At some point, he’s pushed to the side. The other spirits of the forest arrive to greet the new gods. The deer are dubbed Dongmyeong, the god of the sun, and Dongju, the god of the moon. 

Geonhak doesn’t stay much longer after that. He follows Moony out of the forest and back home. It’s odd, with each step, Geonhak remembers less and less of the past few moments spent inside the forest. He can barely recall the new gods’ names or why he was at the shrine in the first place. 

When he takes the final step out of the forest, he’s left alone with only an empty feeling in his heart. He feels he’s lost something, yet he can’t quite recall what. He hears a cat’s meow from deep in the forest and assumes he had followed it there. 

Geonhak returns home and falls asleep. He dreams of a mask shaped like a cat and a man with threads tied to his fingers. 

☙

Geonhak and his parents finish going through his grandmother’s belongings and cleaning up the house. Geonhak finds a cat mask somewhere in the attic that’s identical to the one in his dream. He decides to keep it.

Before they leave, they pray to the sun for happy days and to the moon for peaceful evenings. Geonhak doesn’t know why, but the names Dongmyeong and Dongju pass his mind as they say their prayers. 

☙

As summer begins to fade and a new school year approaches, Geonhak finds himself feeling awfully alone. The feeling that he’s forgotten something is still gnawing at him. He hopes it isn’t anything important. 

His day begins as usual; he gets dressed in his uniform and packs his bag with his books and a lunchbox. He glances at the cat mask on his dresser as he slips his socks on. He must be hallucinating, but the sun seems to be making an orange halo around the mask. 

Geonhak says goodbye to his parents and leaves for school. It’s a short walk, just a few blocks east. Geonhak counts the number of flowers he sees as he passes by them. He stops to stare at a particular patch of white wildflowers that catch his eye. 

“Watch out!” Then he’s hit in the back with a bicycle. Geonhak and the rider both topple over, almost trampling the flowers. “S-Sorry.”

Geonhak is able to stand up and helps by propping the bike up on its stand. Then he extends a hand to its rider. The boy looks up and their eyes meet. 

Something in Geonhak clicks, like the hole in his heart he’s been trying to figure out the cause of for ages now is finally full again. As the boy takes Geonhak’s hand, an image flashes in Geonhak’s head of a thread tying their hands together, then it disappears once Geonhak has helped the boy stand and they have let go of each other’s hands. 

“I’m Seoho, sorry for running you over with my bike.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave kudos and comments.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Clevercookie101?s=21).


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